Net Speed Monitor

A lightweight, high-performance, and modern network speed monitor for Windows that natively embeds itself directly into the Windows Taskbar. Built using C#, .NET 8/9, and WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) with zero external dependencies and a completely tray-iconless design.

Developed and maintained by Amit Mahata.

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📸 Screenshots

Taskbar Widget

The speed monitor pill sits natively on the taskbar, just like built-in Windows icons (volume, battery, clock):

Speed Dashboard

Right-click the widget and select Show Details to open the glassmorphic details popup with real-time speed graph, session stats, and adapter info:

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✨ Features

Unlike traditional widgets that float clumsily over windows or hide inside the system tray, Net Speed Monitor integrates natively into the Windows shell layout:

• Native Taskbar Embedding: Parented directly to the Windows Taskbar window (Shell_TrayWnd) using Win32 API (SetParent). It sits perfectly to the left of your system tray notification area/overflow arrow.
• Perfect Z-Ordering: It behaves exactly like a native taskbar element. Standard desktop windows seamlessly drag on top of it, and it stays perfectly aligned behind active windows.
• Autohide & Fullscreen Support:
  • Automatically slides down/up in unison with the taskbar when "Auto-hide taskbar" is enabled in Windows settings.
  • Automatically hides during fullscreen YouTube/Netflix videos or fullscreen games (natively inherits the taskbar's hiding state).
• Glassmorphic Interactive Dashboard: Right-clicking the widget and selecting Show Details slides up a gorgeous, premium, glassmorphic speed dashboard featuring:
  • Real-time rolling 60-second speed history line graph (rendered via high-contrast polyline on canvas).
  • Session statistics for total downloaded and uploaded traffic.
  • Active adapter information and elapsed session duration.
  • Smooth fade-in/fade-out animations with automatic focus-loss closure.
• Familiar Bit-Based Speeds: Enforces bit-based formatting (Mb/s, Kb/s, b/s) across dynamic auto-scaling and static unit selections, avoiding confusing capital MB notations.
• No System Tray Clutter: 100% tray-iconless experience. You can manage speed units, toggle details, or exit the application directly from the widget's right-click context menu.
• Single-Instance Enforcement: Utilizes a system-wide Mutex to prevent multiple running instances.

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🎨 Asset & Assembly Metadata Integration

1. Embedded Binary Properties: Your identity is officially baked into the compiled NetSpeedMonitor.exe binary properties. Right-clicking the executable and choosing Properties -> Details shows:

   • Authors: Amit Mahata
   • Company: Amit Mahata
   • Copyright: Copyright © 2026 Amit Mahata
   • Product Name: Net Speed Monitor
   • Description: A lightweight real-time network speed monitor natively embedded in the Windows taskbar.

2. Self-Contained Embedded Icons: Using standard WPF Pack Resource URIs (pack://application:,,,/app_logo.png), all visual logo elements are compiled directly inside the executable. The .exe is 100% portable and can be moved anywhere on disk without requiring any loose image files.

3. Branded Installer Graphics: The Inno Setup script (setup.iss) is fully branded with custom high-contrast, modern installer graphics:

   • Welcome Banner (app_logo_banner.bmp): A dark modern vertical banner for the Welcome and Finished screens.
   • Header Icon (app_logo_small.bmp): A custom 55x55 header logo replacing default Inno Setup graphics on all installer pages.

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🛠 Prerequisites

• Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit)
• Runtime: .NET 8.0 Runtime or newer (Desktop Runtime)

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🚀 Installation & Running

1. Build and Run from Source

If you have the .NET SDK installed, you can clone, build, and run the project immediately:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/NetSpeedMonitor.git
cd NetSpeedMonitor

# Run the application
dotnet run

2. Generate a Single Portable Executable (.exe)

To compile a lightweight, portable single-file executable that does not require an installer:

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained false -p:PublishSingleFile=true -p:PublishReadyToRun=true

This compiles a single portable binary NetSpeedMonitor.exe in bin\Release\net8.0-windows\win-x64\publish\.

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📦 Compiling the Release Installer (.exe)

We use Inno Setup to compile a professional, clean Windows installation wizard:

1. Download and install Inno Setup.
2. Publish the C# Release Binary first:

   dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained false -p:PublishSingleFile=true -p:PublishReadyToRun=true

3. Open setup.iss inside Inno Setup.
4. Press F9 (or click Build -> Compile).
5. The branded setup wizard NetSpeedMonitorSetup.exe will be generated inside the Output folder!

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⚙ Run on Windows Startup

To have the speed monitor start automatically every time you boot Windows:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type shell:startup and press Enter. This opens your Windows Startup folder.
3. Right-click inside the folder, select New → Shortcut.
4. Browse to the path of your compiled NetSpeedMonitor.exe and select it.
5. Click Next and Finish.

Now, the Net Speed Monitor will seamlessly launch and embed itself into your taskbar at Windows startup!

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🧩 Architectural Insights

The application achieves native-grade taskbar parenting using clean Win32 P/Invoke integrations:

• FindWindow / FindWindowEx: Locates the parent Windows Taskbar (Shell_TrayWnd) and the notification tray area (TrayNotifyWnd).
• SetParent: Changes the top-level WPF window (WS_POPUP) into a native child window (WS_CHILD) of the taskbar.
• SetWindowPos: Repositions the widget exactly beside the system tray overflow arrow using physical pixel calculations.
• GetWindowRect: Reads physical screen positions to calculate active DPI scaling (PresentationSource.FromVisual) and center the detailed Speed Graph Popup perfectly above the widget.

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📄 License

This project is open-source and free to use.

Created with ❤️ by Amit Mahata. Feel free to fork, submit issues, or open pull requests!